


Another Story

by EaterofWorlds (orphan_account)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Death, Elves, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phoenixes, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-12-16 07:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21032804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/EaterofWorlds
Summary: The gods are at war. Assholes...A group of lesser beings- An irritable elf-hating witch, a less than determined elf and his conflict-fearing phoenix- must leave home in search of shelter.Will they even survive to find that shelter?





	1. Chapter 1

It was midnight. 

A wintry, starless midnight, with fresh snow blanketing the ground.

Street lights were dimmed and the only people outside were a few drunken witches. Other than that small group, the streets were empty.

However, there were still two more visitors coming.

First came a man.

He appeared in the middle of the street, an owl’s cry announcing his presence.

He wore a dark suit, something that was strange here. Thick locks of black hair reached his shoulders and almost completely covered his dark blue eyes.

The only thing that didn't resemble the night sky was his skin, which was almost as pale as the snow beneath his feet.

He stood still as his eyes darted back and forth, searching the street.

He gave a small sigh and began walking. Though the snow crunched beneath him, it stayed flawless, leaving no evidence that his perfect shoes had ever touched the ground.

He stopped near a streetlight. His eyes narrowed at the light. He snapped his fingers and it shut off, leaving him in darkness.

He jumped as he heard a small giggle.

"I see you still hate the light?" Said a woman.

The man sighed, "And you still hate being on time. Hello, Aurum."

The woman, Aurum, appeared in front of him. She was barefoot and, by the looks of her attire, clearly unbothered by the cold. 

She wore a long skirt that fit loosely on her hips and a sleeveless shirt that exposed a bit of her cleavage. Her skin was a beautiful copper color and her eyes were two golden orbs.

Her hair was black, just like the man 's, but the color felt warmer, more welcoming on her.

The man looked her up and down and sighed.

"Could you attempt to look like a mortal next time?"

Aurum's smile disappeared and she glared up at him.

"Well, you don't quite fit in yourself."  
"I, at least, am wearing shoes."

She huffed and crossed her arms. "I was having a good day, too."

"I know. I could hear you and Viridi from here." He smirked.

Aurum rolled her eyes. "Eavesdropping again, Tenebris?"  
The man turned and looked at the field of snow behind him. "It's not eavesdropping if you're not trying to hear."

The two were silent for a while, watching the last few flakes of snow fall to Earth.

Finally, the woman gave an annoyed sigh. 

"Why did you want to see me? I know you didn't just want me to watch the snow."

Tenebris cleared his throat and looked back at Aurum. "Right. Well..."

His eyes met hers', blue piercing gold.

"We've been at each other's throats for too long. We can ́t even be in the same room for too long without blood being shed."

"That's an exaggeration- "

Tenebris glared at Aurum, his expression darkening.   
“Is it really? Tell me, where are the humans, Aurum?” He whispered.

She felt her heart drop into her stomach. She stuttered, “F-fair enough…”

The male continued.

"It seems there is only room for one. Darkness or gold. Midnight or lust."  
She rose a dark eyebrow. "Are you suggesting-?"

"Yes. Gather your allies. Prepare. And hope to Fortuna that you win."

He turned and began to leave. She grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. He turned and looked down at her, his expression empty.

"How long have you been planning this? How many are on your side?̈" Aurum asked.

Knowing Tenebris, he probably had more than half of Domus Aurea with him already.

Tenebris rolled his eyes and said softly, "My dear, I have given you an advantage. I give you a century to create your army."

He removed her hand from his shoulder and pressed his cold lips against her knuckles.

"I wish you the best of luck."

Tenebris disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, leaving Aurum alone in the snow.

The woman sighed and lingered for a while longer, collecting her thoughts.

Finally, she walked closer to the streetlamp. Like Tenebris, she left no footprints. 

She traced her fingers along the pole, making the light turn on again.

She closed her eyes and disappeared. Only a small silver knife, its blade buried in the snow, remained.

A few feet away, a now sober, dark-skinned witch stood, with the terrible knowledge of an upcoming battle between the gods.

**One Hundred and Two Years Later**

Parvus Bellator, a blond elf with green eyes and a less than masculine figure, watched as a phoenix tried (and failed) to pick an apple from its tree, using only his beak.

The elf stifled a snicker and sat on the grass, crossing his legs. He really should have told the bird that the attempt was useless, but he was having too much fun watching it get frustrated.

The phoenix gave an annoyed squawk and finally gave up on the apple. It flew towards Parvus and pecked his forehead.

"Ow! Oh, come on, it's not my fault." He grumbled. "Why don't you just stop being a bird for a bit?"

The phoenix seemed to roll its eyes before spreading its wings.

Red and orange feathers began to melt away as the bird grew larger. It kept growing and growing, the feathers kept falling away until the bird was replaced with a man.

His hair was a fiery red and long enough to be tied into a ponytail. He wore elegant orange robes that reached his ankles and his skin was tanned, thanks to many hours spent under the sun.

Micah looked down at Parvus his arms crossed.

"You could have helped, you know."

Parvus shrugged. "I could have. But you look like you were having fun."

He rolled his honey colored eyes and went to retrieve the apple. "We should get going, it's getting dark."

He put the apple in his bag, which was already overflowing with fruit.

Parvus glanced at the setting sun and muttered, "We can stay a bit longer."

Eve was probably already home and he liked to avoid the witch. 

The witch liked to either do the same or insult him, it depended on her mood that day.

Micah shook his head. "Eve said she wanted us home before it got dark. "  
"Why the hell does she decide our curfew?"

The phoenix sighed. He saw Parvus was getting frustrated and he absolutely hated watching. 

But he also hated seeing Eve angry.

"She said it was urgent."

"Of course it is." He scoffed. Nonetheless, Parvus got up and began walking. Micah followed close behind.

"She's not that bad. You just haven't seen her in a good mood."

"Eve's never in a good mood when I'm around."

Micah almost protested but closed his mouth. Parvus wasn't wrong…

He sighed and shook his head.

'You ́ll be fine." He assured.

The elf sighed softly and nodded. "I'll try to be."

The taller male smiled at that and kept walking, humming softly.

After a few short minutes, they reached what could only be described as a hut stacked on top of a pile of stones.

It looked sturdy enough to survive a few gusts of wind at least.

The hut was surrounded by little floating lights, each light its own shade of blue.

According to Eve, the lights brought good fortune and were the only reason the hut was still standing. 

Parvus stared at the lights for a while longer before Micah tugged on his arm. He sighed and followed Micah inside the hut.

The hut was dimly lit, the only sources of light were the fireplace and the glowing sticks of incense that poked out from the cracks in the walls.

Micah set the bag of fruit on a small table and looked around. "Eve? Are you here?"

Eve answered from the kitchen, "I´ll be there in a moment."

Parvus sat on the floor, waiting. Micah stood beside him, arms crossed.

After a few minutes, smoke filled the house, the smell of death heavy. Micah coughed violently and Parvus covered his nose and mouth with a piece of cloth.

"EVE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!̈" The elf shrieked.

"I'M _ TRYING _ TO WORK!"

"WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?! MURDER?!"

He didn't receive an answer.

After what seemed like forever, the smoke cleared. The smell of a rotting corpse was replaced with the smell of cinnamon. 

The scent made Parvus a bit drowsy, but he shook it off.

Finally, Eve entered the living room.

Eve was a short woman. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate and her hair was a dull grey. 

She wore a stereotypical witch ́s hat and a dress made of blue silk.

Her left eye was the same color as her skin, while her right was covered by a piece of blue silk. What had happened to her eye was a mystery and the witch liked to keep it that way.

Eve took a seat in her old armchair, placing a small bottle full of a brown liquid in her breast pocket. She sighed softly and closed her eye. She seemed tired, possibly from making the potion that was now hiding in her pocket.

Parvus could care less. 

"So, what was so urgent? Or were you just trying to kill us?"  
  
Eve opened her eye to glare at the elf and Micah gave him a look, silently begging him to shut up. 

"It is urgent, actually. However, I wouldn't expect someone like you to know when something is wrong." The witch said quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Wrong means the opposite of right."

Parvus growled, "I know what wrong means, witch. I was asking what do you mean someone like me?"

"I meant an elf, dumbass." Eve said, rolling her eyes. Not only was she tired, now she was beyond annoyed. Typical, she was always annoyed-

Micah gave a loud sigh and began to leave the two. If he knew he had to listen to bickering, he would have stayed outside.

Eve appeared in front of the phoenix, stopping him from taking another step.

"Please don't leave, it really is important." She pleaded softly.

He hesitated and turned, going to sit with Parvus. Eve went back to her chair.

She cleared her throat and looked at the two males, making them a bit nervous.

Finally, she spoke.

"Have I ever told you about the Gods of Domus Aurea?"

Parvus shook his head as Micah mumbled, "Oh, yes."

The elf sighed, of course Eve would tell Micah. The two were like siblings, telling each other everything while excluding Parvus.

Eve was annoyed again.  
"Great. You believe in… What ́s his name, Jesus?

"No. I feel that if there were a god, he would actually care about his creati-"

"HA! Hah hahahaha!"

The two males stared at Eve, who was now slightly red in the face as she laughed.

Parvus blushed and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, you asked my opinion..."  
  
The witch took a few deep breaths and looked at him. "True, I did. And yes, your opinion is correct, but the reasoning… Hilarious. "

"How?" He asked "Is it so stupid to think that whatever created me should care?"  
  
"It is, yes. You can't expect someone to care about you simply because they created you. I planted a tree a few centuries ago. Do you know what happened to it? Who knows! Could've been cut down and made into a house, could've burnt down, I don't care!"

There were a few moments of silence as Eve adjusted in her seat, seeming to have more to say.

"If you want your creator to care about you, do something that would make them care. Don't just sit there and cry because bad things are happening and then expect a miracle." She huffed. "I hate when people do that, you would think they just came out of the womb."

Parvus couldn't think of an argument to that. Honestly, he didn't want to. 

It was one of the few times Eve said something that wasn't meant to frustrate him, but to educate him.

The three were quiet for a moment, considering what was said.

Finally, Micah cleared his throat.

"Right well, what about Domus Aurea?"

"What is Domus Aurea?"

Eve rolled her eyes and answered, "Domus Aurea. Latin for house of gold. It's the home of the gods."

"Oh wonderful." Parvus mumbled. "I thought that we were in agreeance that gods don't exist?"  
"No, we were in agreeance that the one called Jesus doesn't exist. Gods such as Delta and Puella are very real."

Micah interrupted Parvus before he could ask for proof.

"Right, well, what about them?"

Eve's expression softened and she looked at the slowly dying fire in the fireplace, an almost sad look on her face.

Outside the little blue lights of luck shined brighter, as if trying to fight away any negativity.

Micah raised an eyebrow.

"Eve? What's wrong?"

There were few times Eve had ever been sad. Micah had only seen this look on her face when she was telling him stories of her past or of her home, Tenebrae.

"There is… a possibility… That if we stay here, we will not live to see the morning." She whispered.

There was silence again as the elf and his phoenix processed this. 

Then the air was filled with fear. Disbelief. 

"Wh-what?̈" Parvus croaked out.

Eve looked at the elf. She was not annoyed. Not angry. She gave him an unreadable look.

Perhaps she pitied him. Or was she just fearful, fearful that she may be right and that they would all die?

"If we stay here, Parvus Bellator, we may die."

She hesitated. Then she stood, looking for something.

"But I know where we can go. Tenebrae, the gods would never harm such sacred soil-"

"Why would they harm us in the first place?̈" Micah questioned.

Eve was only playing a game, he was sure. After they packed everything, Eve would double over with laughter, calling them stupid for wasting time.

Eve sighed softly. She pulled a small knife from her breast pocket.

It was made of silver, its blade flawless. 

Though the instrument was pretty, it didn't look like something to be used for anything other than decoration.

Her fingers ran along the blade, feeling the cold metal, as she spoke. 

"A century ago, two gods met in Oblivioni. The goddess Aurum, of riches and lust, and the god Tenebris, of darkness and night. They spoke for only a few minutes. They spoke of war. They spoke of gathering their armies, fighting. They met again a week later and discussed where it would take place. The war will begin in A´Chiad, a small town not too far from here."

Silence.

Eve put the knife back in her pocket and stood.

"We'll leave just before midnight." She told them, leaving for her room. "I suggest you start packing your things."

She left Micah and Parvus there, leaving them with nothing but their thoughts.

The phoenix sat down, running his fingers through his hair nervously. Parvus counted the orange strands he pulled out to distract himself.

...Four, five… Eight now…

When he got to eleven, Micah stopped and stood.

"Where are you going?̈" The blond asked.

He answered hoarsely, "I'm going to start packing."

Parvus huffed and stood as well, arms crossed. He couldn't believe that Micah, smart and skeptical Micah, actually thought they needed to leave.

"She's just pulling your leg. She's probably having a laughing fit in her room right now."

Micah shook his head and went to his bedroom, leaving the elf alone, frustrated, and slightly fearful.

Parvus sat down again, sighing bitterly. He wasn't going to pack his things. He didn't need to, he was sure of it.

And yet, a small part of him was pushing uselessly, terrified. A small part whispered urgently, begging Parvus to start packing, to leave now even.

Of course, this small part was ignored as he was lost in his thoughts.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, tired of thinking, and dozed off.


	2. Chapter 2

_His pale green eyes opened, revealing that, sadly, he did not die in his sleep._

_The child groaned and got up, rubbing his aching stomach. _  
_Maybe, he thought hopefully. Maybe my stomach is digesting itself._

_The young elf sighed softly and adjusted his thin white shirt before continuing through the snowy woods._

_His hair was disgusting, coated in so much dirt that it looked black. His skin looked worse._  
_Spotted with reddish purple bruises, hands and feet turning a light blue due to the cold, he looked like he was dying of disease and not starvation._

_The boy walked through a village and looked inside the windows of a house, staring at the fireplace. He was then shooed away by a large man as two small girls giggled at the filthy elf ́s surprise._

_He continued his journey and soon enough found himself in another forest. _  
_Trees of black bark and twisting branches surrounded him, reminding him of the time an old widow fed him licorice._  
_At the time, the treat tasted disgusting. But now he would kill for some._

_The sky became darker as he walked, stars waking and greeting the boy brightly._  
_He glared back at them and hugged himself tightly._

_He had forgotten how long he had walked before he collapsed. _  
_As he fell face first into the snow, he heard an owl’s cry. His last thought before blacking out was that it must be a scavenger, here to eat his flesh after he died._

_It was not._

_The elf woke, still living, and found that he was being carried by a stranger._

_He stayed quiet and pretended that he was still asleep. The aforementioned stranger was a very pale man, with black hair that reached his shoulders and blue, unblinking eyes._  
_He wore a suit and tie, something the young boy had never seen before._

_If he were to look behind the older male, he would see that there were no footprints, which would be strange, as he would be sure that the man was walking through the snow._

_Suddenly, the stranger spoke._  
_“Do you think you can walk? You’re a bit heavy. Well, you’re not heavy. I just think you should walk if you’re able.”_

_The boy hesitated, surprised by the male’s voice. He slowly nodded and was let down._  
_The stranger began walking again and the small elf had to jog to keep up with his long strides._

_“What’s your name?” _

_He was silent as he thought, trying to remember if he even had a name._  
_He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted._

_“You don’t know, do you?” _  
_“N-no, sir.” The blonde mumbled, embarrassed._

_The man gave a small smile._  
_“That’s alright. Would you like a name?”_

_He nodded._

_“... Parvus.”_

_The boy, now named Parvus, raised an eyebrow. “Parvus?”_

_“Yes. It’s Latin for small, I believe the name is very fitting.” He chuckled._  
_“What’s Latin?”_  
_“An old, dead and somewhat forgotten language invented by old, almost completely dead and forgotten humans.”_

  
_Parvus almost asked what humans were but then decided that they probably weren’t all too important if they were forgotten._  
_Instead, he asked a question he deemed slightly more important._

_“What’s your name?”_

_The man opened his mouth but shut it again._

_He sighed softly and said softly, “I shouldn’t say. You see, I’m not supposed to be here. I might get in trouble.”_

_“I wouldn’t tell anyone. I promise.”_

_“You promise, eh? Well… I still can’t tell you, Parvus.”_

_The elf began to argue but his acquaintance brought a finger to his pale lips, shushing him._  
_Parvus huffed and was silent. He stared at the dark man, who was admiring the stars. _

_He inspected the man and quietly compared him to the night sky. _

_After several minutes, the man spoke again, pulling Parvus out of his thoughts._

_“We have some time before we reach our destination. Do you have any questions?”_

_Parvus asked his name again and was still denied._  
_“Any other questions?” The man sighed, rubbing his temples._

_Parvus crossed his arms and looked around, thinking._  
_“... Where’s our destination?”_

_“Somewhere here in the forest, there’s a little hut. You’re going to stay there.”_

_The elf raised an eyebrow._  
_“Why can’t I stay with you?” He asked._

_The man was quiet, trying to think of a way to explain. He closed his dark blue eyes and sighed softly._

_“I don’t think it’d be safe for you to be around.” He said finally. _

_Parvus began to protest, but the man shushed him._  
_“I’m sorry, really I am. If the circumstances were different, I would definitely let you stay with me.”_

_The small elf pouted and looked at the snow. The two males were quiet for only a few minutes._

_“Um… What are humans?” Parvus asked._  
_He decided that he might never see the man again, so he would ask as many questions as he could._

_The man ran his fingers through his dark hair and answered, “They aren’t much different from elves. Their life spans are much shorter though and they can’t perform much magic. They’re also less durable.”_  
_He added with a chuckle, “Their ears aren’t so pointy.” _

_The young elf’s eyes widened at the word magic._

_“Can… Can elves do magic?”_

_The man looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “Can’t you?”_

_Parvus shook his head._  
_He had never performed magic, none that he could he remember anyway. _

_“Huh. How curious…” The man said softly. “Are you sure?”_  
_“Yes sir.”_

_The man tsked and looked back at the stars._

_“We’re getting closer to our destination, Parvus. You’ll have to walk the rest of the way by yourself.”_

_Parvus made a small disappointed noise._  
_“What? Why?” _

_“I’m not a fan of bright lights. And Eve Ensley has a surplus of bright lights.”_

_The boy sighed and crossed his arms. He wouldn’t ask who Eve Ensley was, he didn’t care._  
_The man stopped suddenly. Parvus stumbled and quickly stood upright again._

_“I want you to turn left and walk that way until you reach a phoenix. If he starts to fly away, follow him until you find a trail of blue lights. Follow the trail and when you find a small hut, you’ll have reached your destination.”_

_Parvus seemed more focused on the phoenix._

_“Can I keep the phoenix?” He whispered in awe._  
_“... I suppose. Can you repeat everything I told you?”_  
_“Er, I turn righ-”_  
_“Left.” _  
_“I turn left. I keep going until I find a phoenix. If he flies away, I follow him until I find some blue lights and then I follow those. I stop at the hut.”_

  
_The man sighed in relief, “Good.”_

_He patted the small elf’s head, wished him good luck and turned away, the snow crunching under his shoes. Parvus still didn’t notice that the man left no footprints._

_The young elf sighed and went left, hoping that this Eve Ensley had good food._

* * *

His pale green eyes opened, revealing that he wasn’t a starving ten year old again.

Parvus rubbed his eyes and looked around, suddenly craving licorice.   
Micah and Eve were sitting in front of him, bags slung over their shoulders.

“You were supposed to pack three hours ago. We have to leave in thirty minutes.” She said, very obviously annoyed.

The elf stood up quickly, silently panicking.   
Micah stopped him, holding up Parvus’ bag. “I got everything, don’t worry.” He assured.

Parvus gave a soft sigh of relief and took the bag.

Eve left the two, the heels of her boots clicking crisply against the wood floor. The door opened and slammed shut again as she went outside.

“I thought we had to leave in thirty minutes?”  
“We do, she’s just taking the lights out.” 

Sure enough, the little blue lights disappeared with a small popping noise.  
Parvus imagined any luck they had disappearing with them. He took a deep breath and shook his head, as if to shake off the thought.

Eve came back inside and grabbed a flower vase.  
She gently placed the dying carnations on the window sill and poured the water onto the fire in the fireplace.  
The flames died down immediately. 

The room was almost completely dark, the only light now being the sticks of incense.  
Of course, the witch took care of those as well.

Parvus sighed and began to feel his way to the door. Once outside, he sat down and looked up at the darkness.  
The stars cluttered the night sky, diamonds against dark blue satin. 

Micah, a bird again, perched on the elf's shoulder, careful not to dig his talons into his skin. Parvus glanced at him and smiled.  
“I see you won't be walking for this journey?”  
The phoenix gave a small nod.

Eve joined them outside, stuffing a few extra items inside her bag.  
“We’ll need to go to a merchant.” She said simply. “I need to replace a few things.”

  
Parvus stood up and dusted himself off. He asked, “Well, where’s the nearest merchant?”

“In A’Chiad.”  
“I… I thought that was where the fighting was going to begin?”  
“It is. But we have some time before midnight.”

The elf hesitated and tugged at his sleeve nervously. Eve didn’t notice, or maybe she didn’t care, and began to walk away.  
He sighed and hurried to follow her. She was surprisingly quick for such a small woman.

Micah left his spot on Parvus’ shoulder and soared above him and Eve.  
He looked like a ball of fire against the night sky, a star that was getting too close to the earth.

Parvus watched the phoenix for a minute or so before looking back at Eve.   
She didn’t meet his gaze.  
She was watching the path as they walked, looking for something.

They were silent.   
During the silence, Parvus realized how much he hated the quiet. Even the snapping of a twig would put him at ease at this point.  
But there was nothing except for him, Eve, Micah and the dark night.

After what seemed like an eternity of stillness and wandering, Parvus spotted a house.   
And then another. And another.  
A full village now, crowded with homes and shops.

“Is this-?”  
“This is A’Chiad, yes,” Eve answered. 

Micah rested on Parvus’ shoulder again and looked around.

Although it was dark, people filled the streets, dragging shrieking children behind them while they spoke cheerfully with uninterested merchants.  
It all seemed so overwhelming, Micah was grateful to be a bird at this point.

Eve looked around, her eyes narrowed.  
She stopped when she saw a large man selling herbs and pots.

She tugged on Parvus’ sleeve. The elf tore his gaze from a barefoot young woman and looked down at Eve.   
“I’ll be over there. Stay here, this will only take a few minutes.” She said, already striding towards the merchant.

The blonde sighed and looked at Micah. This would obviously take more than a few minutes.


End file.
